Chantry/ Construct (mage V20)

Mage Information

Chantry/ Construct

In the hazardous world of the Awakened, it’s always a good idea to have some like-minded associates and a stronghold with some fair security. Since the Golden Age of Wizardry, such places have been called Covenants: centers where a group of allied mages stake out territory, consolidate resources, and agreed to assist and defend one another when need be. In later years, the Order of Reason adopted that idea and built the Technocratic Union around that principle. By the 20 th century, Tradition mages call those places Chantries, the Union calls them Constructs, and other mages call them by whatever sounds like a culturally appropriate name (temple, lodge, mosque, etc.).

In game terms, a Chantry or Construct is a base of operations. A character with this Background belongs to such a base and has certain benefits from, and responsibilities to, the group that maintains that base. Most Technocratic agents belong to a Construct by default – that’s just how the Union operates. Mystic mages have a more of a choice about such things, but many of them belong to Chantries as a matter of practicality. There is strength in numbers, after all.

Because Mage’s character-creation rules assume that beginning characters are new to the Awakened game, a character with this Background begins as a low-ranking member of an established stronghold. She gets the benefit of a belonging to a group of older and more experienced peers (who are probably Storyteller-run characters), but starts off at the bottom of the pecking order too. The elders have her doing errands and chores around the Chantry, and she lacks political clout within the group. Growing beyond that stage is one of the keys to a young mage’s journey.

A group of mystic mages can also create their own Chantry, an option that’s not open to Technocratic operatives. (The Union frowns on such individualism.) By pooling points among the members, the group can assemble the resources necessary to build a place of its own. In game terms, these construction points reflect time, money, favors, labor, and other things spent in the process of establishing the stronghold. (A point-based building system was included in The Book of Chantries, but that system has since been discarded.) The more points the group assembles, the larger the Chantry can become.

Secure Squat -- 10-20 point pool

Small Sanctuary -- 21-30 point pool

Mystic Chantry -- 30-70 point pool

Stronghold -- 71-100 point pool

Power Center -- 101+ point pool

A Chantry or Construct can take whatever form seems appropriate. One might be a rural woodland grove; another could be an abandoned movie theater; a third may be a secluded mad laboratory; and a fourth sets up shop in an office building, Viking long-house, law firm, or machine shop. Low- level Chantries and Constructs have a few mundane resources – some magickal wards, a security system, perhaps a handful of unAwakened aides, communication services, and so forth. At the Mystic Chantry level, the place can get a few paranormal trappings: scrying pools, portals to Horizon Realms, spirit guardians, that sort of thing. Strongholds and Power Centers have extensive mundane and magickal/ hypertech resources; such places should be hashed out in detail with the Storyteller and demand huge investments of time, power, labor, and materials.

The stability of this pool depends on the continued cooperation and survival of the contributors. If a mage quits or gets killed, his points are lost. If the entire group fractures, all points are lost and the Chantry dissolves. Surviving members might pool some experience points and make up the difference for the lost contribution. Otherwise, that Chantry joins the many broken fellowships and strongholds sprinkled throughout mage history.

Incidentally, other Backgrounds that are connected to the Chantry must be purchased separately. The following Backgrounds may be added to a Chantry: Allies, Arcane, Backup, Cult, Familiar, Influence, Library, Mentor, Node, Patron, Retainers, Resources, Spies, and Wonder. For details about combining Background points toward a shared Background Trait, see Pooling Backgrounds, (pp.301-302).

X -- No place to call home.

•• -- One pool point or membership in a tiny Squat.

•••• -- Two pool points or membership in a small Sanctuary.

••••• • -- Three pool points or membership in an average Chantry or Construct.

••••• ••• -- Four pool points or membership in a Stronghold.

••••• ••••• -- Five pool points or membership in a Power Center.